FALL EXERCISES OF THE FIRST GDS MECZ ARMY IN THE KUEHLBERG-ZEITHAIN AREA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A008300960002-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 12, 2009
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: October 14, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2009/01/12 : CIA-RDP80-00810A008300960002-6
CLASSIFICATION
COUt4TRY East Germany REPORT
Fall l ercises of the First Gds I1ecz Army in the i eehlhex,
EVkUATION
OA OF CONTENT
DATE OBTAINED.
iREFRENCES
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'DATE PREPARE 14 October 1955
. ~ .~. ._._. .
FACCE'S-~~,.__ ENCLOSURES (No. & TYPE)
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1. On 24 Seratember to , an observation post for generals and high- 25X1
ranking officers was under construction at the ;':uehlberg engineer
training site west of the 'dirt road on the edge of the woods next
to the Elbe River. River-crossing practices were apparently to be
held near the observation post. The western bank of the river was
marked by white flags. in a width of ap;.?oximately 500 meters.
Three large and 3 small motorboat's were anchored on the e
2. The pontoon bridge, which had presumably been used for the
crossing, had already been dismantled. Fragments were seen on
the eastern bank of the river. Trucks were parked not far from
the bridge construction site. Eight to 10 sedans
were seen in the Elbe meadow. An additions to 50
rues were seen on the western bank of the river.
on 2 Septenber the Elbe River was restricted in the area of
:reinitz. At about 0800, intensive tank firing was heard from the
engineer training site. Four je'r, aircraft were continually seen
over the training area. At about 0900, 6 biplanes crossed the
area and proceeded toward Dresden. At 1300, the roads were no
longer restricted. At about 1300, 25 T-3.4/85 tanks, 4 salvage
tanks, 6 trucks, each with a 85-mm AA gun, 5 trucks each with
a 37=mm AA gun, 8 trucks with AA machine.guns, 20 to 25 L:-3
armored personnel carriers, 8 to 10 four-wheel ?armored personnel
carriers, and 30 to 55 trucks including tank, radio and repair
shop trucks were seen some 300 meters east of the sheep-farm.
Five JS-2 tanks, 1 command tank and 1 salvage tank were seen in
the woods west of the road. trine JSU.452 guns were seen in the
middle of this woods. Twelve to 15 T-34/85 tanks, 4 JSU-122 ga-ws,
2 JSU guns without, guns and 4 salvage tanks were observed on the
eastern bank of the river at the river crossing point.
.Between 0400 and 1830
.9 uaitzschhaeuser. Trucks
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;ter? 2`3 aL ter..oer,,,_ 1.2 rocket launchers ;rare identified east of
the !;!be :liver, 3 kxt north of :aitzschhaeuser. ,;u::Aerous trucks
were stored in the woods on the western border of the -eithaan
braining c?rounds. At about 14030), 18 T.,.34/85 tanks
passed through 0ohlis. The tanks came
4
iror.: ,.-te engineer training site and proceeded to the wood
patch opposite the Roedi.erau railroad station. Four JS1J-122
guns, 2 JSU -.guns w:,?thou' duns and 5 salvage tanks went in the
same direction. At 1800, a signal unit was seen marching from
the .,uehlberg engineer training grounds through Riesa towaz?d.
Seerhausen.. The color+in included 10 #ou - -,,heel air: ored personnel
ca'r'riers, armored personnel carriers, each occupied by
8 to 10 soldiers, who wore blue-bordered black epaulets with
signal insignia, 5 radio trucks and 10 to 15 trucks
It twae learned that, after 160`0, uni ,s
continually left in ti?i. direction. At l900. 8 trucks, each
with a AT gun and 12 trucks v: i th personnel wearing red
bordered black epali1.e'Cs left the eithain tra?.ning grounds
for ',:rossenhain. At 2 `i 0, 5 trucks, each with a U5'-mm A.,'. ;;un
4 trucks, each with a 122-.mm field howitzer g 5 half=track,.
vehicles and sore 50 trucks including radio, tank and repair
shop trucks proceeded in the same direct .on, At aboat 1.400
OY1__ 26 Se;7 ~LiiC1ber., the vehicles which had arrived Tiro;:l the engineer
training site on 25 `~53~tembcik]~y' were observed in a! Gaw~]? on e~.t1~:
northeastern edge of the woods at the UG1. 1.hain tank firing area.
The following vehicles -.;ere seen: 15 T-34/85 tanks, 5 j S--2
tanks, 4 salvage tanks, A truchs, each with a 37-mm Ali, gun, 10
to 15 .rya armored pev,9ct:iie1. ''.c :t' 'i err y 5 four-;:heel armored
personnel carriers and 25 to 30 trucks. At 1600? the above-
mentioned T-34/35 tanks and several other
vehicles event to the ':rue. k:ni tz rail-nod . station for ent.raininr;.
At 1645, 18 T-34/85 tanks, 4. J3ZJ l22 guns ~ithout guns, 5
salvage tanks, 2 a 'f.ioreG personnel carriers, 3 trucks and 2 field
kitchens came from the, wood patch near ' e' Rosderau railroad
station and went to the station for entrainin ;.
4. an 21 arLd 22 Sea' e 0 _r
s. 4 jeeps,, 3 trucks, 47 si.x-?.heal armored
personnel carriers, 18 sidecar rm.ototrcycles, some, 800 soldier,
wearing black-bordered crimson epaulets and 30"' sold i.ea s wearing
red-bordered black epaulets left the Elsner _s.asernf; (1.401) a2ci
the Strassbur?g I,Lase:cne (1402) in 0ri;.,cta and went toward pros;
Dothen. Three troop 11-rains Passed through the Oberer .Bahnhof
in 3rimma. They carried. 12 ,runs and, six-?wheel ari::ored perse?n?:'1e.L
carriers which mounted heavy machine guns and /6=m a ;tuffs wit'
short barrels. One of the trains aas occupied; by soldiers and,
apparently, by Russian vwomcn and children. On :,e tuber. al`-.
was quiet at the pout and,-iIt;he installations P .I l .73; noted tica;
only a f e,,,, windows of the barracks installations were lit at dusk.
5. At 0800 or. 2E Se tt;r..lb .r the following troops and materiel were
unloaded at the Leipzi. --Tauchha. railroad station: 6 r-34 ta_ k ,
2 1.:03 armored personnel carri ers9 3 .13.4-64 a.r: ored scout cars,
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8 sidecar motorcycles, 2 tank trucks, tr c'h
1 closed tra#ler, aubulance l jeep,
8 boxcarloads of straw ;::atresses and billetin.; equipment and
approximately 100 soldiers. At 1000 on 2 ; September , a train
nwhich carried 18 T-34 tanks, 3 BA.-64 ar::ored scout cars, 4
sidecar motorcycles, 1 armored, personnel carrier, 1 tractor
and al;proxitaately 10 trucks and 12 boxcarload.s of personnel
passed through the Taucha railroad station. The train came from
the direction of vilenbux-g and proceeded toward Leipzi ,-
At 1530, 1 TSU-122 ; un, 1 JS=2 taxi?c and 4 T-34 tanks from the
ileiterblick Kaserne (6242) in Leipzig were . entrained at the
I`aucha railroad station. 2
On 28 Seote:3>r, 10 boxcars with billetin equipment and
bajage which was taken to the :1eiterblick Kaserne near Leipzig,
,;,ere seen at the Taucha railroad station. 1 -
f . r l2n 26 and 3C' $e~;t embe the Panzer Kase:ne (1162) in
i 3y
has a capacity of an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 eo1di::rs,
was occupied by some 200 soldiors, presumably an advance detail
Fourteen to 24 trucks ,ere parked in the barrakcs yard. :o^ t of
the doors of the vehicle sheds were closed. The few sheds, the
d.oos of which were open, were empty. Intensive pedestrian
a a iC was observed at the insta!la~ion. %71 Se" tG lber
billeting equipment was unloaded from 5 trucks.
Coricent> Recent i.nL orr%u Lion i ror_ the :,ue4:lberg-zeithain
mane:u-er area tends to indicate : 'cat the exercise, observed there
was no-c corlnec Red with the as 'e:iubl of units in th Zoyers'ae.sda-
" i^p
LIT r ,J'aa ^? area as iicd S reyiousl been ^511uTe
is was a join
exercise of the Stth 'GdH iiiecz Div and the 9'th 'Tank Div with crossing
of the Elbe River in the uekal'~erg -I iesa, area. "Tie information
fails to def-.nite y indicate whether the 1`l be River was crossed
on a. military bridge or by means of ferries., for information on
participation of an orw"ineer .nit of sS..Ttiv from 8perenber-",F
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SECRET
The six-.,.,heel. armored personnel carriers with short 76--runti guns
seen on the shipments on 21 and 22 September in Grimria are worth
noting. .ter.:gored personnel carriers with a similar armament have
not been observed before in the Soviet Zone of Germann.y. The third
shiaian ent mentioned in para,,rraph 2, which reportedly carried soldiers,
:,women are: children, was presumably dispatched in connection with the
personnel exchange.
Lcgmzerit. The tanks and the S.: gran, presumably belonjed to the
67th Tank Tn ; Bn of the 8th 'ads .1ecz Div and may have been loaded
for repair work or overhauling.
3. Co; lent. "ifter the departure of the Is t :ads Tankti Re;;t of the
8th Zs i..ecz Div to the f oeni; bruer.:k trainin;; grounds in the spring
of 1,55, the Panzer ~~aserne in aorna was occupied by only a guard
detail of about 50 men. until early. September. Advance details of
the regiment presumably returned to the post. ';`bile the units are
expected to return to the installation only after the completion
of the fall exercise. Co!::pare tdwi th F--lCoi_r_":cent 1.
.rotor veniclel are believed to belon~
!fie u/i signal unit of G3FG in Reha"en
This may indicate that this unit also participated in the
exercise in the 11:uehlber;,-Zeithain area.
SECRET/NOR)RN
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